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Dakota Promise

Dakota Promise Program

Pikes Peak State College’s promise of full on-campus tuition, fees, books, and academic support for qualifying graduates from Harrison School District 2, Atlas Prep High School, and James Irwin Charter High School.
Mission
The Dakota Promise supports academic persistence through resources and opportunities that create meaningful relationships and inspire success through attainable life-changing education.
Harrison School District 2 logo

Selection Criteria

  • Graduate of Harrison High School, Sierra High School, Career Readiness Academy, Atlas Prep High School, or James Irwin Charter School.
  • Must have attended one of the above high schools for at least a full academic year.
  • Enroll at PPSC within 16 months of graduating high school.
  • A minimum of a 2.25 cumulative (or junior + senior year) weighted GPA.
  • Completed Financial Aid application on file: FAFSA (for US citizens and eligible non-citizens), CASFA (for undocumented students).

 

How to Apply

Follow these steps to apply to PPSC and become a Dakota Promise Scholar for the fall semester.

You will be automatically admitted to the program if you follow these steps and meet the eligibility requirements.*

Submit PPSC Admission Application.
  • Priority Deadline: February 1
  • Final Deadline: August 1
Submit High School Transcript (unofficial transcripts accepted). Send to records@ppcc.edu.
  • Priority Deadline: March 1
  • Final Deadline: August 1
Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for US Citizens and eligible non-citizens or the Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (CASFA) for undocumented students.
  • Priority Deadline: March 31
  • Final Deadline: August 1
Complete New Student Orientation. New students must complete the mandatory New Student Orientation. The orientation is offered on-demand online. 
 
Meet with an academic advisor. You will meet with an academic advisor virtually or by phone to choose your class and talk about any necessary placement tests.
 
Register for classes.
  • Priority Deadline: June 1
  • Final Deadline: August 15
Review and complete pending financial aid requirements.
  • Priority Deadline: July 1
  • Final Deadline: September 15
*It may still be possible to be a part of the program after these deadlines, but meeting the deadlines are key to a successful start.

What happens next?
As a new Dakota Promise Scholar, you will be contacted by your Dakota Promise Coach who will welcome you to PPSC.
dental student

Tuition, Fees, and Books

PPSC promises to cover the on-campus tuition, fees, and books for all students in the Dakota Promise Program.

These costs are covered through a combination of federal grants, state grants, and college scholarships. You will not have to pay back these grants and scholarships.

How it works:
  1. First, you must complete the FAFSA (or CASFA if you are an undocumented student) and submit any additional required paperwork for financial aid.
  2. Then, PPSC builds your financial aid package with any federal and state grants, like the Pell Grant and the Colorado Student Grant.
  3. After the grants are applied, your Dakota Promise Program financial aid package is completed with PPSC scholarship funds to ensure your on-campus tuition, fees, and book expenses are covered.
Your initial award may not look like it covers the full cost, but don’t worry. The PPSC Financial Aid office will add scholarship funding to your account after the drop date of the semester (about 2 weeks into the start of the semester) to cover any costs that weren’t covered by the initial financial aid package excluding the additional costs associated with online classes.

What about housing or other expenses?
The Dakota Promise Program will cover the cost of on-campus tuition, fees, and books. Outside scholarships, work-study, or loans will be needed to cover other expenses such as housing or meals.

Consider applying for other external scholarships to help with other expenses.
Pikes peak library image
Pikes peak teacher image

How to stay in the Dakota Promise Program

Students can remain in the Dakota Promise Program for up to 3 academic years by completing the following steps and staying in compliance with the following rules:

  1. Adhere to the Dakota Promise Program Student Agreement.
  2. Complete the FAFSA (or CASFA) each year by March 31 (The following academic year's application opens on October 1).
  3. Complete pending requirements for financial aid each academic year.
  4. Maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA at PPCC.
  5. Maintain an aggregate 67% completion rate for classes - You must pass with a C or higher two-thirds of the classes you take. Grades of D, F or withdrawing from classes (grade of W) will count against your completion rate.
  6. Complete a minimum of 24 credits each academic year with a grade of C or higher. PPSC encourages students to stay on track to graduate with their Associates Degree in 2 years taking at least 30 credits each academic year.
If you take more than one semester off, you will not be able to rejoin the Dakota Promise Program. Examples of how to meet the credit threshold in an Academic year:

Example 1
Fall semester | 15 credits
Spring semester | 15 credits
Summer semester | 0 credits

Example 2:
Fall semester | 9 credits
Spring semester|  9 credits
Summer semester | 6 credits

Talk to your Dakota Promise Coach about staying eligible for the program and on track to graduation.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Dakota Promise Program is Pikes Peak State College’s promise of full on-campus tuition, fees, books, and academic support for qualifying graduates from Harrison School District 2, Atlas Prep High School, and James Irwin Charter High School.

These costs are covered through a combination of federal grants, state grants, and college scholarships that students will not have to pay back.

On-campus tuition, fees and books.

On-campus tuition, fees and books.

No, this is a PPSC program. Many universities offer transfer scholarships though. As you get ready to graduate from PPSC, be on the lookout for opportunities to apply for transfer scholarships at the universities you apply to.

No, there are no citizenship requirements to be eligible for the Dakota Promise Program.

Students meet with their coach at least three times per semester

Students must enroll at PPSC within 16 months of graduating high school (either the fall or spring semester after graduating high school).

This depends on your financial aid award.

The Dakota Promise Program guarantees that the cost of tuition and fees for classes offered at the on-campus tuition rate will be covered. Some students may have enough federal and state grants to cover the cost of the more expensive online tuition rates.

If your financial aid package includes scholarships to cover the cost of tuition, fees, and books, then those scholarships are only applied to the on-campus cost of tuition. If you enroll in only classes billed at the on-campus tuition rate, then you are guaranteed that PPSC will cover the full cost of tuition, fees, and books.

If you choose to enroll in any online courses, PPSC will guarantee covering tuition, fees, and books up to the on-campus tuition for that number of credits. If your financial aid package includes some or all Dakota Promise scholarship funding, then you will be responsible for the cost difference between on-campus and online tuition.

Yes, you have two full semesters after graduating high school to enroll at PPSC and be a part of the Dakota Promise Program. For example, if you graduate high school in May 2021 then you can start at PPSC and be in the Dakota Promise Program if you enroll for either the Fall 2021 semester (August 2021 start) or the Spring 2022 semester (January 2022 start).

Timeline for students enrolling in the spring semester:

  1. Submit PPSC Admission Application.
            Priority Deadline: October 1
            Final Deadline: January 1
     
  2. Submit High School Transcript (unofficial transcripts accepted). Send to records@pikespeak.edu.
            Priority Deadline: November 1
            Final Deadline: January 1
     
  3. Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for US Citizens and eligible non-citizens or the Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (CASFA) for undocumented students.
            Priority Deadline: November 1
            Final Deadline: December 15
     
  4. Attend New Student Orientation. After you are admitted as a student, login to Navigate and click on Appointments in the menu to sign-up for a New Student Orientation. While this is not a required orientation, you will find it valuable to guide you through your next steps.
            Priority Deadline: November 1
            Final Deadline: January 8
     
  5. Meet with an academic advisor. You will meet with an academic advisor virtually or by phone to choose your class and talk about any necessary placement tests.
            Priority Deadline: November 1
            Final Deadline: January 8
     
  6. Register for classes.
            Priority Deadline: November 15
            Final Deadline: January 11
     
  7. Review and complete pending financial aid requirements.
            Priority Deadline: December 1
            Final Deadline: January 8
student
students in the hallway

Contact Information

PPSC Admissions:
Janae Knipp
Bilingual Admissions Counselor
Janae.Knipp@pikespeak.edu
Office | 719-502-2453
WhatsApp | 719-505-3172

Harrison High School and Sierra High School:
Woody Longmire, MBA, MPA
Director College Career Readiness/CTE
wlongmire@hsd2.org
Office | 719-579-3266
Work Cell | 719-505-4117

Current Dakota Promise Scholars:
Selinea Moore-Allen
Lead Dakota Promise Coach
Selinea.Moore-Allen@pikespeak.edu
Office | 719-502-2433
Cell | 719-258-0286